9,209 research outputs found

    Consent and the Construction of the Volunteer: Institutional Settings of Experimental Research on Human Beings in Britain during the Cold War

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    This study challenges the primacy of consent in the history of human experimentation and argues that privileging the cultural frameworks adds nuance to our understanding of the construction of the volunteer in the period 1945 to 1970. Historians and bio-ethicists have argued that medical ethics codes have marked out the parameters of using people as subjects in medical scientific research and that the consent of the subjects was fundamental to their status as volunteers. However, the temporality of the creation of medical ethics codes means that they need to be understood within their historical context. That medical ethics codes arose from a specific historical context rather than a concerted and conscious determination to safeguard the well-being of subjects needs to be acknowledged. The British context of human experimentation is under-researched and there has been even less focus on the cultural frameworks within which experiments took place. This study demonstrates, through a close analysis of the Medical Research Council's Common Cold Research Unit (CCRU) and the government's military research facility, the Chemical Defence Experimental Establishment, Porton Down (Porton), that the `volunteer' in human experiments was a subjective entity whose identity was specific to the institution which recruited and made use of the subject. By examining representations of volunteers in the British press, the rhetoric of the government's collectivist agenda becomes evident and this fed into the institutional construction of the volunteer at the CCRU. In contrast, discussions between Porton scientists, staff members, and government officials demonstrate that the use of military personnel in secret chemical warfare experiments was far more complex. Conflicting interests of the military, the government and the scientific imperative affected how the military volunteer was perceived

    The Development of Mobile Short Video Communication in the Context of the Mobile Internet

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    In the context of the mobile Internet, continuously upgraded media and increasing numbers of terminal devices has enabled information communication to become instant and abundant. The lifestyle of the public has also changed with the evolution of the Internet. The public’s growing enthusiasm for watching short videos on smart phones are one example. This paper discusses changes in the communication environment, namely the concept and development of mobile short videos. Application of Lasswell’s “5W” model to mobile short video communication, is used to analyze this form of communication, using Meipai, a Chinese mobile short video application, as a case study. Suggestions for potential development in this area are also considered

    Der Gestiefelte Kater - Genese und kultureller Wertigkeitswandel einer europäischen Erzählfigur seit der italienischen Spätrenaissance

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    Die Erzählfigur des Gestiefelten Katers ist vielen Menschen, zumindest bildlich, präsent. Mit dem Beginn der Filmindustrie waren auch erste Filmproduktionen der Abenteuer des Katers erschienen und es folgten im Schnitt zwei bis drei Filmversionen pro Jahrzehnt. Untersucht man im diachronen und räumlichen Kulturvergleich die Konzeption der Katze in den ersten bekannten schriftlichen Fassungen des Erzähltyps der Katze als Helfertier, zeigt sich ein beträchtlicher Wandel, den die Figur bis heute durchlaufen hat. Obwohl in der Sekundärliteratur erwähnt, haben der Geschlechtswechsel der anthropomorphisierenden Katzenfigur von Italien nach Frankreich und die Veränderungen im Verhaltensmuster dieser sehr bekannten Erzählfigur in der kulturhistorischen Forschung bisher kaum Beachtung gefunden. Dabei reflektiert die literarische Konzeption der Katze in ihrem regionalen Erzählkontext auch grundlegende gesellschaftliche Prozesse. Konnte mit der Katzenfigur in der italienischen Spätrenaissance noch Mitgefühl und Mütterlichkeit assoziiert werden, so wurde die Katze nach einem Geschlechtswechsel im Frankreich des Sonnenkönigs zum Träger ganz anderer Wertigkeiten. Der in der Geschichte vom gestiefelten Meisterkater vollzogene Geschlechtswechsel der Erzählfigur vermittelt hierbei den stärksten cultural shift, denn der Schwerpunkt der Erzählung verlagerte sich auf Ränke statt Händel, auf Strategie statt Gefühl, und stellte physische Überwältigung über rein verbale Überzeugungskraft. Diese Entwicklung leistete dann dem Darstellungsmodus eines ab dem 18. Jahrhundert eindeutig männlich charakterisierten Katers bis hin zur Personifikation eines bewaffneten Musketiers Vorschub und setzte sich nicht nur von den durch die italienischen Fassungen assoziierten Denkbildern und Wertvorstellungen ab, sondern beeinflusste retroaktiv die weiteren Übersetzungen und Aufzeichnungen des Erzähltyps der Katze als Helfertier auch im italienischen Raum. Die Erzählung vom Gestiefelten Kater reflektiert deswegen in ihren zahlreichen neuen Varianten mit immer wieder andersartig revitalisierten Protagonisten komplexe interkulturelle Prozesse und vermittelt den Rezipienten zeitgleich etwas von der Bedeutungsvielfalt der Katze in ihrer jeweiligen Zeit und Örtlichkeit

    Public librarians' perspectives of digital library for rural areas of Capricorn District Municipality, Limpopo Province

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    Even after two decades of a constitutional democracy that is prized as one of the most progressive achievements, public libraries and information services remain scarce in rural South Africa. This is despite the fact that Library and Information Services (LIS) are important to build and develop communities and foster enlightenment among citizens, but in direct contradiction to the rights of free education and the right to information enshrined in the Constitution. On the one hand, the establishment of new libraries in rural areas moves at inexcusable slower pace, while in the same vein, the population and communities continue to grow rapidly, with consequent demand for LIS. However, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have positively impacted the library landscape and society at large. This transformation requires a shift from traditional ways of information provision to modern library services, namely, digital libraries. This study intended to investigate public librarians' perspectives of digital library for rural areas of Capricorn District Municipality (CDM), Limpopo Province. Moreover, to understand the nature of digital libraries and requirements for access and effective use of such libraries. A further objective is to ascertain whether digital libraries could be a solution for inaccessible LIS in rural areas. The study employed qualitative research approach through interpretive paradigm to investigate the perspectives of public librarians. The study adopted phenomenological research design. DeLone and McLean's Information System Success Model was adopted to frame the study. The population of the study was a total of the twenty-three public librarians with various titles from the CDM employed by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and the Local Municipalities. A purposive sampling technique was employed. The sample of the study included five librarians from various public libraries. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and was analysed thematically. The study findings revealed that the digital libraries are not to replace the physical libraries, but to improve the LIS. It was found that digital library users require ICT tools of which some rural users may not afford. Moreover, users have varying preferences on the format of the information source, some may need printers to convert the digital information to print format adding financial implications on the rural user. The study indicated that basic computer literacy skills are central for access and use of digital library services, no advanced training is necessary. However, self-training might be sufficient for the use of digital library system, denoting expectation of a usable digital library system. The study revealed that the youth are expected to use the digital library services than other age groups, as youth are arguably conversant with internet technologies. The study found out that some librarians do digitise some of their heavily used materials to cater many users as they flock to the library, for instance, curriculum books. However, copyright laws might be overlooked or not taken cognisance of. Based on the findings, it was recommended that the current traditional libraries should operate as hybrid to provide LIS to enable users with no gadgets and other access challenges. Digitisation equipment, reliable internet, well-trained personnel are seen to be aspects of significance for digital library system. Moreover, it is encouraged that the digital library system should be inclusive of people with disabilities and other services beyond library services. It is further advised that the digital library system should provide services of traditional libraries which are possible digitally and subscribe to online information resources. This study shall serve as a guideline on implementation or establishment of digital libraries in a rural context. Therefore, other researchers can investigate the attitudes of digital library users and the likelihood of rural users on acceptance of digital libraries.Information ScienceM. Inf

    A Personalized Medicine Approach to the Diagnosis and Management of Autism Spectrum Disorder

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    This collection of articles provides an overview of the current and future methods for applying a personalized medicine approach to the diagnosis, management, and treatment of autism spectrum disorder

    Accessibility and Usage of School Library Materials and Facilities by Social Studies Teachers in Sapele Metropolis

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    The study examined the accessibility and usage of school library materials and facilities by Social Studies teachers in Sapele metropolis. One hundred and four (104) social studies teachers were the selected study sample using the purposive sampling method. Two (2) instruments were employed for the gathering of data. They are an observation checklist and a questionnaire. The data gathered were analysed using mean. The study revealed that most library materials and facilities were not accessible. In addition, it was discovered that non-print media were lacking. However, textbooks and print assets and materials were accessible. Also, the study exposed that poor government funding and insufficient financial assets and materials of school libraries had mired teachers’ usage of school library facilities and materials. It was suggested that Libraries funding should be made adequate, library Associations in Nigeria should organise training and development courses for library staff to boost their efficiency in school library operations, relevant and modern books, educational facilities, and materials should be made available and accessible

    A framework for digital archiving at selected public universities in Kenya.

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    Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietemaritzburg.Archival records are knowledge assets that preserve the overall historical scholarship, memory and identity of organisations and institutions of higher learning. The rapid transformations witnessed on the digital landscape today have led to the increased generation of digital records, prompting the growing interest by universities to adopt sustainable digital archiving implementations to ensure the continued access of archives. This research investigated digital archives management practices in selected public universities in Kenya. The objective of the study was to develop a digital archiving framework for the archival repositories at the institutions. To achieve this objective, the study sought to answer five research questions which were: what is the state of digital archiving readiness of public universities in Kenya? How are digital archives identified and administered in Kenyan public universities? Which legal and regulatory frameworks govern digital archives management in Kenyan public universities? Which risk factors are digital archives exposed to in these universities? What possible solutions can be adopted to mitigate the identified risks and support sustainable digital archiving implementations in Kenyan public universities? The study subscribed to the pragmatic school of thought which formed the basis for adopting a mixed methods approach that prompted the use of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, with a qualitative priority. The study was underpinned by the records continuum (RC) model, Open Archival Information System (OAIS) Reference model and the Archives and Records Management Association (ARMA) Records Management Maturity model which were triangulated to coin a conceptual framework for the study. The study adopted a multiple-case (embedded) design using cross-sectional survey. Six universities were purposively selected from 23 fully accredited public universities in Kenya namely: the University of Nairobi, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Moi, Kenyatta, Maseno and Egerton Universities. Purposive sampling was used to select a sample of 205 respondents comprising of deputy vice-chancellors, finance officers, legal officers, ICT directors, archivists, records managers, records officers, ICT staff and administrative staff. Questionnaires were administered to 169 respondents; 36 participants were targeted for interviews, and document review was used to confirm the data. Quantitative data was analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and presented using inferential and descriptive statistics. Qualitative data was analysed thematically using NVivo and presented using charts, graphs and tables as applicable. The key findings suggested that public universities in Kenya have not attained the desired optimal state of readiness for digital archiving. This was evidenced by the absence of functional archival repositories in five of the universities, insufficient harnessing of the available ICTs for d-archiving, inadequate skilled and competent staff, low prioritization for the education and training of recordkeeping staff and absence of dedicated budgets for records and archives management functions in the institutions. Furthermore, there were no formal processes guiding the lifecycle management of digital records and the generated metadata. The situation was exacerbated by weak and/or non-existent legal and regulatory frameworks for recordkeeping at national and institutional levels. Subsequently, digital records were exposed to risks at various stages of their lifecycle which included records technology risks, legal and regulatory risks, administrative risks and records control risks. The risks further occasioned a cocktail of challenges that called for urgent interventions. The overall conclusion of the study was that even though the institutions have instigated various approaches and strategies to mitigate the identified risks, a lot needed to be done to improve the state of digital archives management in the universities. Taking into consideration the study findings, this research recommends a framework for digital archiving that brings into perspective a collaborative approach, whose core focus is to enhance d-archiving practices in archival repositories of collaborating institutions

    Archaeological Perspectives on Conflict and Warfare in Australia and the Pacific

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    When James Boswell famously lamented the irrationality of war in 1777, he noted the universality of conflict across history and across space – even reaching what he described as the gentle and benign southern ocean nations. This volume discusses archaeological evidence of conflict from those southern oceans, from Palau and Guam, to Australia, Vanuatu and Tonga, the Marquesas, Easter Island and New Zealand. The evidence for conflict and warfare encompasses defensive earthworks on Palau, fortifications on Tonga, and intricate pa sites in New Zealand. It reports evidence of reciprocal sacrifice to appease deities in several island nations, and skirmishes and smaller scale conflicts, including in Easter Island. This volume traces aspects of colonial-era conflict in Australia and frontier battles in Vanuatu, and discusses depictions of World War II materiel in the rock art of Arnhem Land. Among the causes and motives discussed in these papers are pressure on resources, the ebb and flow of significant climate events, and the significant association of conflict with culture contact. The volume, necessarily selective, eclectic and wide-ranging, includes an incisive introduction that situates the evidence persuasively in the broader scholarship addressing the history of human warfare

    La Titulización: Origen, Evolución y Regulación Actual en La U.E y en España

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    La tesis examina la relación entre el papel de la titulización en la crisis financiera de 2007 y la regulación de la titulización en Europa en general y en España en particular. La tesis tiene dos objetivos principales e interconectados. a) El primero es demostrar que la convergencia de la titulización y las permutas de incumplimiento crediticio en el contexto del mercado hipotecario residencial estadounidense fue un catalizador de la gran crisis financiera (en adelante, la GCF), y que esto fue posible gracias a la decisión política de rechazar radicalmente una tradición de derecho consuetudinario para tratar los derivados que tiene sus raíces en la Gran Bretaña del siglo XVIII. Para argumentar esto, la tesis rastrea el desarrollo de la titulización desde sus primeras formas europeas hasta su incorporación en instrumentos derivados altamente complejos en EE.UU. en vísperas de la GCF. También sigue la evolución jurídica coetánea de los instrumentos derivados en la tradición del Derecho Común y argumenta que fue la presión política por parte del sector bancario a finales del siglo XX la que provocó una ruptura radical en su tratamiento, y posteriormente permitió que desempeñaran un papel tan importante en la GCF. La tesis presenta el argumento de que la titulización hipotecaria fue un catalizador más que una causa primaria de la GCF, y que su papel fundamental fue el de exponer las debilidades estructurales del sistema bancario, en particular la dependencia de la financiación a corto plazo a través de acuerdos de recompra y la venta de papel comercial. Desde este punto de vista, las deficientes medidas de divulgación o la falta de "piel en el juego" en el mercado de titulización estadounidense no fueron responsables de la crisis. Más bien fue causada principalmente por una combinación de la fuerte inversión de las entidades de crédito en las cadenas de suministro de titulización integradas, junto con su dependencia de los mercados de deuda a corto plazo para la financiación. La opacidad de las estructuras de los SIV que negociaban deuda a corto plazo significó que, cuando los precios de la vivienda cayeron y los valores de alto riesgo comenzaron a incumplir en volúmenes significativos, los operadores, incapaces de determinar el contenido de los SIV, se negaron a refinanciar las obligaciones de deuda a corto plazo. Esto provocó una congelación de la oferta de crédito y supuso que las cadenas de suministro de titulización integradas no pudieran seguir financiando los productos asegurados con derivados para cuyo creación y comercialización habían sido creadas, y se vieron obligadas a absorber fuertes pérdidas en los productos altamente apalancados que ya no podían vender. b) El segundo objetivo de la tesis, que se desprende del primero, es demostrar que el cuerpo principal del Reglamento Europeo de Titulización, con su fuerte enfoque en los requisitos de divulgación y retención de riesgos y su promoción de la titulización simple, transparente y estandarizada, proporciona poco de sustancia a la titulización hipotecaria residencial española que no haya tenido ya desde sus orígenes, y que el Reglamento fue concebido como reacción a algunas de las causas percibidas de la crisis en EE. UU., en particular la creencia de que el modelo de originar para distribuir fue la causa de la crisis y que un gran número de compradores de bonos de titulización fueron incapaces de descifrar la complejidad de los instrumentos que adquirieron y, por tanto, no apreciaron plenamente los riesgos que entrañaban. Estas suposiciones son cuestionadas por las pruebas acumuladas en el texto. Conservar grandes cantidades de obligaciones de deuda colateralizada en el balance, o tener que absorber las pérdidas de los SIV que se vieron obligados a cerrar, resultaron ser unos de los mayores problemas para las entidades de crédito durante la GCF. Mientras la complejidad de los instrumentos financieros utilizados no fue en sí misma un impedimento para que los inversores profesionales sofisticados comprendieran los posibles riesgos que entrañaban los productos que adquirían, sino que la diligencia debida por parte de los compradores se suspendió a menudo en un intento frenético de cerrar las operaciones rápidamente para conseguir el mejor precio posible. La tesis se divide en cinco capítulos. El primer capítulo explica los mecanismos de titulización y el funcionamiento de los bancos en la sombra en el contexto de la financiarización de la economía estadounidense. El segundo capítulo recorre los orígenes de la técnica de la titulización, desde la cruda agricultura fiscal en el mundo antiguo hasta la primera titulización de marca privada en Estados Unidos. El tercer capítulo estudia el desarrollo de los derivados y la formación de un marco normativo en las jurisdicciones de derecho consuetudinario, primero en el Reino Unido y luego en EE.UU. El cuarto capítulo explora las formas en que la titulización actuó como catalizador y vector de la crisis financiera, exponiendo las debilidades estructurales de la economía estadounidense. El último capítulo se centra en la respuesta europea, enfocándose en dos piezas de legislación clave, el Reglamento (UE) 2017/2402 que creó un marco general para la titulización y un marco específico para la titulización simple, transparente y estandarizada, y la Ley 5/2015 que unificó la regulación dispersa de la titulización en España.The thesis examines the relationship between the role of securitisation in the financial crisis of 2007 and the regulation of securitisation in Europe in general and Spain in particular. The thesis has two principal and interconnected objectives. a) The first is to show that the convergence of securitisation and credit default swaps in the context of the U.S residential mortgage market was a catalyst for the great financial crisis (hereinafter the GFC), and that this was made possible by the political decision to radically reject a Common Law tradition of dealing with derivatives that has its roots in 18th century Britain. In order to make this argument the thesis traces the development of securitisation from its earliest European forms to its incorporation in highly complex derivative instruments in the U.S at the eve of the GFC. It also follows the cotemporaneous legal evolution of derivative instruments in the Common Law tradition and argues that it was political pressure on the part of the banking industry in the late twentieth century that caused a radical break in their treatment, and subsequently allowed them to play such a key role in the GFC. The thesis presents the case that mortgage securitisation was a catalyst rather than a primary cause of the GFC, and that its fundamental role was that of exposing structural weaknesses in the banking system, particularly the dependence on short-term funding through repurchase agreements and the sale of commercial paper. On this view, poor disclosure measures or a lack of “skin in the game” in the U.S Securitisation market were not responsible for the crisis. Rather it was primarily caused by a combination of the heavy investment of credit entities in integrated securitisation supply chains coupled with their dependence on the short-term debt markets for funding. The opaqueness of the SIV structures that traded in short-term debt meant that, when housing prices fell and subprime securities began to default in significant volumes, traders, unable to determine the content of the SIVs, refused to roll – over short term debt obligations. This caused a freeze in the supply of credit and meant that the integrated securitisation supply chains were unable to keep funding the derivative insured products they had been created to package and market, and were forced to absorb heavy losses on the highly leveraged products they could no longer sell. b) The second objective of the thesis, which follows on from the first, is to demonstrate that the main body of the European Securitisation Regulation, with its heavy focus on disclosure and risk retention requirements and its promotion of simple, transparent and standardized securitisation, provides little of substance to Spanish residential mortgage securitisation that it has not already had since its origins, and that the Regulation was conceived in reaction to some of the perceived causes of the crisis in the U.S, particularly the beliefs that the originate to distribute model was at the root of the crisis and that large numbers of buyers of securitisation notes were unable to decipher the complexity of the instruments they purchased and so did not fully appreciate the risks involved. These assumptions are challenged by the evidence accumulated in the text. Retaining large quantities of collateralized debt obligations on balance sheet, or having to absorb them from sponsored SIVs that were forced to be shut down, proved to be one of the greatest problems for credit entities during the GFC. While the complexity of the financial instruments used was not of itself an impediment for sophisticated professional investors to understand the possible risks involved in the products they purchased, but rather due diligence on the part of buyers was often suspended in a frantic attempt to close deals quickly so as to achieve the best possible price. The thesis is divided into five chapters. The first chapter explains the mechanisms of securitisation and the workings of the shadow banks within the context of the financialisation of the U.S economy. The second chapter traces the origins of the technique of securitisation, from crude tax farming in the Ancient World to the first Private Label Securitisation in the U.S. The third chapter studies the development of derivatives, and the formation of a regulatory framework in Common Law jurisdictions, first in the United Kingdom, and then in the U.S. The fourth chapter explores the ways in which securitisation acted as both a catalyst and a vector for the financial crisis, exposing the structural weaknesses of the U.S economy. The last chapter concentrates on the European response, it focuses on two keys pieces of legislation: Regulation (EU) 2017/2402 which created a general framework for securitisation and a specific framework for simple, transparent and standardised securitisation, and Law 5/2015 which unified the disperse regulation of securitisation in Spain
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